Nightmares and Flashbacks
by That Called By Any Other Name
Summary: The twin's life is seemingly perfect here in Gravity Falls. But when it is time for them to go home, Dipper and Mabel are panicked and nobody knows why. When they let Grunkle Stan, Wendy, and Soos in on some of their biggest secrets, they discover the twin's life is nowhere near perfect - and when disaster strikes, everything the Pines family cares about starts crumbling. R&R '.'
1. Secrets and Panic Attacks

**Prologue**

**Mabel's POW:**

My tummy grumbled and I stumbled into the kitchen. Light streamed through the window, and the air smelled like pine trees. I open the wood cabinet, careful not to get any splinters, and I reach out to grab the box of Overly Sensitive Owl cereal for breakfast. But my hand only touches the rough wood of the cabinet.

"WHAT! No cereal!" I cry in despair, quickly covering my mouth, expecting to hear Grunkle Stan shushing me. But my call doesn't have any response. Strange, there is usually somebody down here. Now that I think about it, the shack is eerily quiet. I check the clock above the fridge. One thirty! Why am I even up? Well, It's not like I can go back to sleep, so I turn on the T.V. A commercial comes on.

"Are you tired of your pencils breaking?" A voice asks.

"YES!" A group of students cry.

"I'm Bobby Renzoni, and what you need to get is the GIANT PENCIL!" A guy with a mustache appears on the screen and shouts.

Wow, Wow, Wait, back up, I think to myself. WHY would they be selling a pencil? It's the summer, for Pete's sake! It's not like anyone would be buying school supplies just yet. Well, Bobby Renzoni is famous for selling useless stuff. I decide to forget about it. The next commercial comes on.

"Hiya, kids!" An announcer says. "You know what time it is...it's almost time for school!" A group of kids cheer. "So come on down to the School Barn to buy all those necessities! And remember - always stock up before school starts!"

Wait, what? Another school add...but it can't be..I glance at the calendar. Today's August 20th...school starts in 10 days! Poop heck darn! And on the 25th, it says..KIDS GO BACK HOME?! Double poop heck darn!

I know most kids don't like going home after summer, but for us it's different, and I...I don't know what to do. I need to hide this news...fast. I take a deep breath and try and form a plan. There is one thing I know for sure - I can't let Dipper know that we're going home. I don't know what would happen if Stan found out our secret. _You can't hide it forever..._A voice in my head says.

**Dipper's POW:**

I'm in a room. A room filled with wine. A monster looms over me. He drinks from a bottle. Then He laughs and laughs. "Ma..b..el...Mabel..MABEL.." I whisper. The monster lunges at me. I become more frantic. "MABEL, MABEL, MABEL," I say anxiously. "Pathetic." The monster says. He gestures with his hand and the wine bottles start to fall on top of me. "MABEL!" I scream. "HELP!" I start to run, but my legs are stuck in some sort of molasses. "Dipper, wake up," The monster says. I frantically open and close my eyes. I'm so confused. I now know this is a dream, so why am I not waking up? I open and close my eyes some more, and, finally, the dream starts to fade away, starting with the bottles of wine. But, unlike most dreams, just before the monster says something just before he disappears. I can barley make out the words, but I think he said "Pathetic." After, he starts screaming.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I wake up, but the monster's screaming isn't gone. I become panicked, until I realize I'm the one screaming. I look up, expecting Mabel, but it's Wendy that's looming over me. That only makes me scream more.

"Hey, dude, you good?" She looks at me with a smile. "You've been sleeping a long time, even by my standards. It's, like, 12 in the afternoon, man."

It was just a dream, I tell myself. "I'm good..Wendy," I say to her. I look up at her. Suddenly I'm embarrassed. "How..much of...that..did you see?" I sound ridiculous. Stupid squeaky puberty voice.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see her stifle a laugh at my voice that she cleverly hides as a cough.

"Oh, just the part where you were thrashing around and yelling for Mabel," She says cooly and smiles at me.

"Oh, man," I whisper and put my head in my hands. Why did I have to be so...awkward? And sweaty and wimpy? Like, all the time? I'm on the verge of tears.

Seeing this, she gives me a small punch on the arm. "Sure your good?" She asks.

I don't answer her. I glance at Mabel's bed. Suddenly, I realize that my twin is gone. "Where's Mabel?" I ask. "And why are you here instead of her?"

"Oh, that?" She asks. "We ran out of cereal - Mabel and Stan were getting some. They left me in charge. I was just running the shack and I heard you scream from upstairs. I came running as soon as I could. Seems to me like you were having a nightmare."

"Well, what do you want to do now?" I ask her halfheartedly. I slept in my clothes, so I don't have to change.

"I don't know - something epic," she says. "I mean, you only have 5 days in town left, right?"

"Wait, what?" I asked. Why would we only have 5 days left? Summer wasn't over..oh no. It was the 20th - our flight home to Piedmont departed in 4 days! Only 4 days left in Gravity Falls? I had to leave.. I had to...but I couln't ...face dad. Not after...OH NO. I felt the panic attack coming on. The dream plus this news..I had not had one since we came to live with Grunkle Stan...OH!NO! I couldn't let Wendy learn about this! I had hidden it from her all Summer..why now. Breathe, breathe, I tell myself. But I am past that point. I can feel it. I am the Titanic, and I had hit an iceberg - there is no going back now. The only thing I can do is find Mabel. By now, she is the only thing that can calm me down.

"Find Mabel?" I ask Wendy. I grab on to her hand. I can barley talk. I'm in a full blown attack now. What will Wendy think of me now? Any shot I ever had with her is gone. I hyperventilate more and more. Was Wendy's head always that big? Why is the world spinning? Wendy? Leave? Mabel? Questions fill my head. I can't think straight anymore. I'm dying, Wendy, love, MABEL, MABEL! I can't breathe! Air! Need air! AIR! Higher ground! Yes! I grab Wendy's shoulder. Can I breathe now? Mabel? My mind is fuzzy.

"Breathe Mabel?" I ask before the world slips away.

**Wendy's POW:**

Ugh. I'm so bored right now! Mabel's at the store with Stan, Soos is fixing something, and Dipper is in his room...why is life so pathetic! I roll my eyes at nobody in particular and turn back to my latest issue of _Avoiding Eye Contact Monthly, _but I've already read through the whole thing when Stan was telling me about one of his old man dreams again. Seriously, I think Soos is the only one that listens to those! I turn back to my magazine.

"Mabel...Mabel," an unknown voice says. A ghost? It's coming from upstairs. Something's haunting the twin's room! I grab the nearest weapon, in this case, a chair, and slowly make my way up the stairs.

"MABEL, MABEL!" The voice is becoming more frantic. I raise my chair. "MABEL!" It screams and it's voice cracks. Wait a second..ghost's voices don't crack, but Dipper's does! Relieved, I put the chair down and walk into the twin's bedroom. Dipper is thrashing around on his bed, and screaming Mabel's name over and over. My "sister instincts" take over and I try and shake him awake. This only makes his "Mabel's" turn into screams.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Dipper sits up in his bed.

"Hey, dude, you good?" I ask him. His cheeks are flushed and he's sweating - a lot.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" This only makes him scream more.

When I finally get the little dude to calm down, he starts interrogating me. I just try and get him to simmer down a bit. He's pretty on edge today. Unsurprisingly, his voice cracks again, and he gets super embarrassed. I stifle a little giggle - not that I think his voice funny, it's just that Dipper is super cute. In a "baby and ducking kinda cute" way. He always tries to act like a man around me, but I kind of like it when his true self peaks out - the soft side that he reserves for Mabel and Stan. I know he's trying to impress me, but in my eyes, he has nothing to prove. I do love him - like a little brother.

I slip back into reality, and answer his question about how much I've seen. His cheeks turn bright pink, and he tries to hide a tear leaking out from the corner of his eye. I suddenly feel an urge to hug him, but that would be super weird, so I give him a light punch on the arm and we continue with the conversation. I only catch half of it.

"What do you want to do now?" He asks me.

"I don't know - something epic," I respond. "I mean, you only have 5 days left in town, right?" I ask.

"What do you mean?" He asks. He's silent for a while, lost in thought. It finally hits him. Suddenly, Dipper's whole body goes stiff.

"Woah, Dipper, you okay, man?" I ask, but I don't think he heard me. I'm super scared now. He grabs my arm super hard. I don't think he even realizes how hard he's gripping. I whimper in pain, but I have more pressing matters to deal with right now.

"Find..Mabel.." He says weakly.

"I already told you, she's at the store, Dipper!" But my comment falls on deaf ears.

Dipper's breathing becomes rapid and his throat is parched. He tries to tell me something, but it comes out as a squeak. I think his neck is closing up. If possible, his grip on my arm becomes tighter. He can't even breathe anymore, it comes out in short little hiccups. His face is becoming red and his whole body is shaking and twitching haphazardly. I need to find Mabel, Stan..WHOEVER CAN CALM HIM DOWN! No. Take a deep breath, Wendy, I tell myself. Dipper has enough panic for both of us. Me panicking won't accomplish anything.

Suddenly, Dipper lunges for my hat and nearly knocks me down. He mumbles something incoherent. I barley catch him as he falls to the ground and blacks out.

I don't know what to do. I don't even know what happened to Dipper. I set the now sleeping Dipper on the bed and tuck him in. I glance at him. He is so peaceful now; I would have never guessed that he just suffered some kind of emotional breakdown if I saw him like this. In his sleep, he gently pulls the covers around him and cuddles the pillow. I'm just relieved it's over.

I go downstairs to see Soos. He can't run the shack all by himself, and besides, its raining, so business is slow.

"Hey, Hambone," My coworker says to me.

"Hey, Soos," I respond. I'm still shaken up.

"Yo, Wendy, you OK?" He asks, concerned.

"I'm not sure. Can you help me close up the shack?" I ask, distracted. I wonder how Dipper's doing?

Soos sensed the urgency in my voice. "Sure, OK," He tells me.

I sweep the floors as Soos closes the door and locks it. My phone vibrates in my pocket. It was an email from Mabel. I read it.

From MeowWowSparkle

To: WendyCorduroy , Dipinsauce , Soos!

Hi Guys! We bought our cereal and...well...let's just say Stan had a bit of a "run in" with the cops. We'll be back in an hour!

3, Mabel!

P.S. What's they hey hey with u guys?

I sighed and put my phone away. I couldn't tell her what happened to Dipper without upsetting her.

"Hey Wendy, we're done closing up shop," Soos says to me. "Now, why did we close up shop again?"

I sighed. "Come upstairs, Soos, I'll tell you," I say to him.

By the time we get upstairs, Dipper is having another nightmare. He's tossing and turning.

"What happened to Dipper?" Soos asks, concerned.

"Okay. So, I heard him screaming for Mabel, and so I decided to come and check on him," I begin. I sneak a glance at Soos. I see him intently listening. "And I shook him till he was awake. He seemed a little shaken up, but okay. So we started chatting, and all of a sudden his whole body froze up and he started shaking. He could barley breathe, Soos. And then all of a sudden, he just passes out!" I attempted to seem laid back, but I wasn't. I was incredibly scared. And then, I just couldn't hold my tears back anymore. I just cried and cried on Soos.

"I *gasp* just want him to be okay," I said through sobs. Soos was very patient. Finally, I was all dried up.

"Okay, I'm done," I said. We had a moment of silence as the rain pored outside. "Thanks for that, Soos," I added.

"No problem. Now, why don't we see what's up with the little man," He said.

I turned to look at Dipper. He looked frantic.

"Wendy, get away! GET AWAY!" He started crying. I was about to leave the room until I noticed he was asleep. "GET AWAY FROM ME! HE CAN HURT YOU TOO MUCH! WENDY!" He screamed. "WENDY!" He had lost it now. He was actually pounding his bed and sobbing. "Please. I can't loose you too," Dipper said in a quieter voice. He sobbed quietly for a while until he woke up.

Dipper didn't register us. He just turned around and barfed all over himself. Then he promptly started crying again. I felt an ache in my heart. Barf or no barf, I couldn't see my friend suffering like this. I went over and enveloped him in a hug. I felt Soos come and join the hug as well. We stay there until I feel his breathing slow. I don't even remember falling asleep until I start dreaming.


	2. Dreams and Delusions

**This chapter is dedicated to williebadger618! You are worth a million smiles!**

**Dipper's POW:**

The smell of alcohol is heavy in the air, making it almost impossible to breathe. The monster is there again, this time with a bottle of beer. Another person, a child, is there too. Partially hiding in the darkness, her facial features are nonexistent from this far in the distance. A gunshot rings through the air. The silhouette of the child falls down. Her face now in the light, I see that she is...MABEL?! He. Killed. Mabel. "NOOOOOOO! YOU MONSTER!" I screech. The tears pour out of my eyes, and Wendy comes to comfort me. "WENDY! NO! GET AWAY!" I yell at her. "GET AWAY FROM HIM! FROM ME! NOW!" I even try to throw her off of me now. I can't let her get killed, too. "Please, I can't loose you too," I whisper. Suddenly, she begins to transform. Her long, red hair is now short and spiky, her body has evolved into...a middle aged male's? I look at her one more time. Wendy has become...THE MONSTER. "Still love me, Dipper?" The monster asks. "Because I'll never love you. Not after the panic attack. Your sister won't take you back, either. This was your secret. LOOSER!" It jumps on top of me, holding me down. "You may have a good life here, but trust me when I say: I will destroy everything you love when you return home," The monster whispers in my ear.

I wake up, but Wendy is still on me! My worst fear is happening; my dream has become reality. I need to destroy the monster, disguised as Wendy. What to do, what to do? Think, Dipper. I see a chair outside the door. Yes! Perfect! I grab the chair and try and lift it. I can't. Keep lifting, keep lifting, I tell myself. But it is no use. I am not physically strong enough to lift the heavy living room chair. By now Wendy is up, and looking at me strangely.

"Need to get something up high, Dipper?" She asks. "I can help you."

How could she talk to me after she killed my sister? I need to avenge Mabel's death.

"How can you speak to me, after you killed Mabel?" Tears are streaming down my face. I don't care anymore. I just want Mabel back. "And now, I will kill you. I don't care how long it takes. I WILL GET YOU!" By now I'm screaming. I smile at the surprised and scared look on her face. "I MAY NOT BE STRONG ENOUGH NOW, BUT I WILL BE! I WILL GET YOU! AND THAT IS A PROMISE! NOW WHO ARE YOU CALLING PATHETIC?!" I've lost control. I try and swing at her, but I miss and I feel myself falling. Somebody lifts me up. I look down at the person's arms, hairy and strong. Why has Grunkle Stan stopped me? Does he not love Mabel? And how did he get here in the first place?

"GRUNKLE STAN, ALLOW ME TO AVENGE MABEL!" I scream.

"Whoa, Kid, Mabel's right here," He tells me.

A very concerned Mabel comes into my line of vision.

"Dipper, are you okay?" She asks.

What's going on? Someone's messing with my mind.

"Bbbutt..you...were...ddeeaad!" I stammer.

Some other people try and stay some stuff to me, but I can't hear any of it. Confused, I try run into the closet, but Grunkle Stan has an iorn grip.

"You're not going anywhere, you little punk," He tells me.

**Mabel's POW:**

From the moment I stepped in the Mystery Shack I knew something wasn't right. For one, the shack was closed. That only happened if there was an emergency. For another, it seemed abandoned. The quiet air seemed thicker than molasses, and nobody was in sight.

Wait. No. Emergency shack closing? Absence of Dipper? This couldn't be...Dipper couldn't have...No. Not a panic attack! Please, not a panic attack, I think to myself. Please. A stray tear leaked out of the corner of my eye, and I realize something: I felt an emotion I hadn't felt since we came to live in Gravity Falls: Fear. Not the kind of fear that you can get by being chased by monsters, not the kind that you can get by being pumped with adrenaline before a test, but Fear in its truest form: when your life is literally at stake, and depending on the choices you make, your little reality could fall apart.

I run upstairs.

"Hey, Mabel, wait!" Grunkle Stan's footsteps thunder across the hall. I don't stop, though. I need to get to Dipper - if he did have a panic attack, there is definitely going to be more coming. Besides, I want to see my brother and my friends.

I go upstairs, hearing traces of the conversation. The voices seem to be yelling. I wonder if they're rehearsing a play? I go into our room, greeted by a disaster.

"What's going on?" Grunkle Stan asks me, very confused. Dipper is threatening to hurt Wendy, Wendy is cowering in a corner, Soos is sleeping on Dipper's bed...even I don't know what's going on, and I had seen Dipper's panic attacks before!

After a moment of staring at the drama in awe, we come to our senses. Grunkle Stan picks up a thrashing Dipper and holds him in his hands.

"Hey, Dipper, Are you OK?" I ask him.

"Mabel...but you were...dead," Dipper says. His face is all red and he's crying. His clothes smell like barf. He squirms in Grunkle Stan's hands.

"You're not going anywhere, you little punk," He tells him. "Now, you kids have got some serious explaining to do."

**Stan's POW:**

I don't know what to do. When I left, Dipper was sound asleep. But when I came upstairs, he was threatening murder. Right now, I'm holding him as he squirms. I try to keep my cool, but I'm actually scared. After all, I really love the kid. Also, I REALLY need to know what's going on.

"You're not going anywhere, you little punk," I tell Dipper. "Now, you kids have got some serious explaining to do. And why is the shack closed?!"

"Here. I'll start," Wendy says. "But first, could Dipper go to sleep? His glaring at me is starting to creep me out..."

I shove Dipper into Mabel's hands. "Mabel, sweetie, will you put your brother in bed?" I ask.

She takes him without saying anything to me. Carefully, she places her brother on the bed and pulls the covers up to his chin. Her kindness causes an ache in my heart. Get a grip, Stan, I tell myself. Mabel takes a deep breath.

"Wendy. What happened," She asks. Wow. I've never seen my great-niece so serious. I give her a small pat on the back.

"Are you okay, Mabel?" I ask. She gives a small nod and grabs my hand.

"Continue, Wendy, you're not here for nothing," I say, trying to maintain my trademark gruff attitude.

"Okay. So, I was, like, working the cash register and I hear Dipper screaming for Mabel. When he wakes up from his nightmare, he goes kind of bonkers. I didn't know what to do, so I just let him go to sleep, but when he woke up, he started attacking me," She said.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" Mabel whispered. "Not a panic attack."

I don't think she wanted me to hear that, but I do.

"Panic whodaha?" I ask her.

She gulps.

"MeandDippyneedsometwintimeweneedtotalknothingseriousbyebye!" Mabel said as she grabs her twin and rushes into the closet.

**Mabel's POW:**

_'Ugh. I am so bored, I think to myself. I can't even focus on what the teacher is saying._

_"Bla bla bla...unit test...bla bla bla...half your grade...bla bla bla...Friday.." Ms. Melone drones on. Woah, woah what?! Unit test! Oh well, I'll just ask Dipper later. To remind myself, I write "Unit test - ask Dippinsauce later" on my hand in sparkly blue pen. There. That should do the trick. _

_I glance over at my twin in the front row. Dipper looks a little - well, if we're speaking honestly, more than a little - anxious for the test. But that's not too unusual. He's always anxious about something nowadays, and sometimes I feel like I don't even know him anymore. Well, I guess he has always been a worrywart - I'm sure it's nothing._

_After class, I tell Dipper I'll skip art club to come study with him. He smiles a little at this, and I'm glad I could make him happy. We leave Ms. Melone's 6th grade class, both going to the bus. We make it just in time, and take a seat in the back row, like always. I take Dipper's hand, surprised at how cold it is._

_"Hey, Dipper, are you okay?" I ask him. He looks at me with wide eyes. His grip becomes tighter on my hand. I knew he was anxious for the unit test, but I didn't know he felt this scared. I didn't know what to do. His breathing becomes shallow, and he collapses onto me. I become panicked. _

_"Stop, bus driver, my brother just had a ...seizure or something!" After that, everything was a blur. I remember mom taking us to the E.R. Doctors. Uncomfortable chairs. Crying, more than I ever had in my life. Finally, the doctor told us to come into where Dipper was. _

_"Your son didn't have a seizure; he had an anxiety attack. He has Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and, from what I've found, insomnia."_

_"What does that mean?" My mom asked. Her throat sounds dry. _

_"Most people worry, but your son worries to the extent it is a disorder. Insomnia means he has trouble sleeping." The doctor replies. "Panic attacks are common for this disorder."_

_I am not happy that Dipper had this anxiety dohicky, but at least he's okay. We drive home in silence. I hold Dipper's hand the whole time._

I was awakened back into reality by Dipper leaning his head on my shoulder.

"Thanks," I say.

"For what?" He asks.

"The time to think. I needed that," I reply.

He gives me a lopsided smile. "It helped me too."

**Dipper's POW:**

What in the world is going on? Wendy killed Mabel...but she's still here. I sit down and rest my head on my knees. Suddenly, it all floods back. The attack, the dreams, me attacking Wendy for no reason.

"Ugh, noooo.." I say quietly.

Not only did I have an attack, but I tried to kill Wendy for no apparent reason. I already knew I was a retard. Why did Wendy have to find out? And Soos? Not to mention Stan? Hot tears trickle down my cheeks.

I knew she never loved me. Even liked me. But now, she probably hates me. I pulled my cap over my eyes and rest my head on Mabel's shoulder. She wakes up, and we exchange some comments. For some reason, it cheers me up.

"What do you want to do?" I ask her.

"Wellll," She says with a smirk. "there is a game I've always wanted to play.."

"What?" I ask.

She looks at me, embarrassed. "Well, when I was little, I was always fascinated by watching you build puzzles," she says, "but I was too scared to tell you."

"Puzzles, Mabel? I love puzzles! I hope they have a hard one around here..." I say.

"Cool! I'll go find one!" She says, excited. "But first...change your shirt. It has barf and tears all over it."

"Oh. That," I reply. I go into the depths of the closet to find a new one. All I can find is the Question Mark shirts that Soos wears, so I select one in the smallest size and put it on. Then I come back to Mabel.

We build the puzzle, and Mabel proves to be very helpful in finding pieces. As we build, I think about what I'm going to tell Stan, Wendy, and Soos what happened. Oh well...at least they didn't figure out our darkest secret - yet. _"They're going to find out eventually,"_ a voice in my head says.

**Hi! Please Review! You can also tell me stuff to add in the story! I just wanted to give a special thanks to williebadger618! This chapter is dedicated to you, my friend! If you have negative feedback, I'll still take it! Tell me what you thought of this chapter...it's kind of odd, I know :) Even if you don't like this chapter, don't unfollow the story.. PLEASE? The next chapter will be better. Review if you want the next chapter dedicated to you! **


	3. Once Upon a Bus Ride Home

**Hi guys, I promised you this would be a better chapter than the last one, but I HAVE SERIOUS WRITERS BLOCK! So don't grade too hard :) BIG THANK YOU TO: WILLIEBADGER613, WEERWET, AND WRITERCRASH FOR REVIEWING! Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed &amp; favorited this story. To quote from Lil Gideon, "Thank you! Thank you! You guys are the real miracles!" **

**Anyway, these next chapters are going to be very depressing, maybe I'll write one lighthearted one. Anyway, peace!**

**Dipper's POV:**

There is a knock on the door, forcing me and Mabel to come back to the reality of the situation.

"Should we tell them everything?" I whisper to Mabel. She gives a small shake of her head, one so brief only someone who was really looking hard would notice it. I give her a nod, making sure she's on with the plan.

"Come in," I tell the person knocking. Wendy, Soos, and Stan enter.

"Are you ready to tell us what's going on?" They ask.

"Well...um...you see..." I anxiously stammer and look to Mabel for help.

"What my brother is trying to say is that..." she looks at me with pleading eyes. I shrug. "THAT he gets really bad nightmares and sometimes it makes him dazed for a while! It was probably just an aftershock, nothing SERIOUS or POSSIBLY A DISORDER or anything!"

"Thanks," I mouth.

"Well then. You kiddos okay?" Grunkle Stan sounds skeptical that we told him the truth, but he doesn't push it.

"Yeah, yeah, were FINE," Mabel says while I silently slip out of the closet.

I don't know where I'm going, but I think they caught Mabel's bluff, and I don't feel like answering any more questions right now. I head into the woods to think. We only have 3 days left in Gravity Falls; I just have to lay low and make sure people don't ask any more questions.

**3 Days Later (still Dipper's POV):**

My life has become a routine. Wake up, get changed, eat, take my work shift, eat, watch tv/read in our room, eat, shower, sleep. I don't feel like doing any of those things, but I have to stay busy enough so Grunkle Stan and Wendy don't get concerned. I don't think it's working, though, so I mostly just avoid them.

I'm finished with Lunch, so I turn on the living room T.V. I think about my family. Mabel keeps pestering to go on a mystery hunt again, and people keep trying to get me to talk about my "feelings", but I'm done caring. They want to know how I feel? I hate myself. I wish I could just disappear. Coming to Gravity Falls was the best thing that ever happened to me. And I ruined it.

**Wendy's POV:**

I'm really worried about Dipper. It's been 3 days, and he hasn't talked to anyone, even Mabel! I need to do something, so after work, when the shack is closed, I go up to Stan.

"Umm..I don't want to intrude on your family business or anything," I stammer. I don't know how to phrase this. "But I think Dipper has been...a bit..." I glance over at him. With no emotion whatsoever, he looks like a zombie - and I'm speaking from personal experience. He's a totally different person than the awkward, sweet, smart, sometimes wimpy but still awesome kid I was used to. I turn my thoughts back to the conversation. "He seems a bit..distant..lately," I say.

I glance up at Stan. He actually seems pretty worried about Dipper, too. I know he tries to hide it, but I know he really loves those twins.

"Yeah. I've noticed that too. You know, we should go talk to him," He says.

"You mean like, right now?" I ask.

"No time like the present," He responds and walks up to Dipper. Dipper doesn't even look at him.

"Hey, kid, I've been meaning to ask you, are you feeling okay?" He asks.

Suddenly, Dipper notices we're watching and tries to run away, but he slips on a can of _The Brown Meat_ that was empty on the floor. His reflexes are slow, so he hits his nose and it starts bleeding. Ouch, I think to myself. The fall looks like it hurts, but the scariest part is that Dipper is still not showing any emotion. Yikes. He's gotten up and starts running, but luckily Stan stops him.

"Look, kid, Dipper, don't pretend you're okay. You barley do anything, you haven't had a real emotion in weeks, and you go around the house looking like a zombie! Now tell us what's going on!" Stan yells.

"So you want to know how I'm feeling?" He asks, sarcastically.

"Yeah," I say in a small voice.

**Dipper's POV:**

"YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW I'M FEELING!" I scream. Then I take a deep breath. I don't know how long I can hide this anymore.

"Please, Dipper," Wendy says.

"Yeah, we're worried about you, kid," Grunkle Stan adds.

I don't know what to do. _Just tell them_, a voice in my head says. I take another deep breath, and I open up my heart to them.

"Back in Piedmont, I hated myself. I was tired, I had nightmares, I got picked on. My best was never good enough. My parents hated me. My dad bullied me. I was too weird and paranoid for the nerd group, to weak and wimpy for the intense, buff guys group, to awkward and socially impaired for the popular group, to boring for the art and fun loving groups, and to bad at sports for the sporty group. Heck, even the weird guys who eat lunch in the bathrooms turned their backs when they saw me! I was a good student, except I was loosing so much sleep my grades were slipping, I was the shortest and wimpiest boy in my class, I got beat up after school every day. Mabel was my only friend, but she started to form her own group and I was left alone. I had panic attacks almost every night." I takes a deep breath before continuing. My cap is slipping over his eyes, casting a shadow over my face. I try to hold back tears. "Then, I came to Gravity Falls. I found the journal and started solving mysteries with you guys. I felt good at something for once. Leading you guys and stuff, I felt more tough. Fighting off monsters, I felt almost sporty. For god's sake, I even felt I had a chance to finally have a girlfriend - Pacifica - and she's the most popular girl in town! But, most of all, I felt I finally had a group. You guys gave me the illusion I was finally accepted. I finally fit in. THAT I WASN'T JUST A LOOSER! BUT OH, HOW WRONG I WAS!" I screamed and throw the can of beans that I had tripped on into the Gift Shop. Grunkle Stan didn't even tell me to watch the merchandise. I pull his cap even further over his face. Tears I don't want them to see start to leak out. I'm to angry to stay in control anymore. "AT LEAST I FINALLY KNOW WHO I AM: I'M A STUPID, PARANOID, ANXIOUS, INSANE, CONFUSED, TIRED, BORING, WIMPY, DUMB, SHORT, LAME, RETARD WHO NOBODY LIKES! AND NOBODY EVER WILL LIKE ME! I TRY MY BEST, BUT I'M NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR MABEL. FOR ANY OF YOU GUYS! AND YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW I FEEL?! I HATE MYSELF! I'M DYING ON THE INSIDE, I'M TRAPPED, I STOPPED CARING! I WISH I WAS NEVER BORN AND IT WAS JUST MABEL LIVING! THAT'S HOW I FEEL! HAPPY?!" I shout. It actually made me feel a lot better getting some of it off my chest. "Happy?" I say in a quieter voice. I tears leak out of my eyes. I'm suddenly tired after the outburst.

**Wendy's POV:**

I knew Dipper was upset, but I never knew he felt that bad. And I called him my friend; yet I didn't even know how sad he was feeling. Why had I never asked him about this before? Was I too absorbed in my own problems to notice his? I feel really guilty. Even here, it was kind of a running joke about Dipper's unmanliness; his sneezes, inability to beat the "man tester", adorableness, height, and physical structure - and that was a joke that I'd participated in. And even though I did treat him like my friend, I admittedly was condescending at times. I guess all those things that everyone teased him about just piled and piled up. I don't know how to respond to this. I just realized how bad a friend I've been to him.

**Stan's POV:**

I don't know how to respond to Dipper's feelings. I had been making fun about him all summer - harassing him about pretty much everything that he talked about. I make a promise to myself then and there. To make up for all that teasing, I owe him a favor. And, when the time is right, I will give it to him.

**Later that day (driving to the bus station) :**

**Mabel's POV:**

I can't believe this is actually happening. I stare out the window, as the town I have learned to call home flashes by. I have more memories here than any other place. That grocery the place Grunkle Stan plays catch a dozen eggs with the grocer, that wood is where me and Dipper found the bunker, that porch is where Dipper, Stan, and me sang karaoke to defeat zombies, and that plank is where I shared my first kiss with Mermando. In the beginning of Summer, all I wanted to do was go home. Now, I just feel like I'm leaving it. I take a shuddering breath. I'm not ready to leave.

"Hey, Mabel, are you feeling okay?" Wendy asks me. Honestly, she doesn't look very happy herself. To cheer her up, I give her a scratch n' sniff sticker.

"Wendy, do you know that feeling, when you know what you have to do, but you feel like you're making a giant mistake?" I ask her.

"Yeah, looser, I do know that feeling. We were quiet for a moment.

"Wow. I'm gonna really miss this place," I say, holding back tears, as we arrive at the Gravity Falls bus station.

"Well, get your bags out of the back," Grunkle Stan tells us.

I get my bag out of the trunk and out of the corner of my eye, I see Dipper do the same.

"Bye, Wendy and Soos," I say through tears. I give each of them a hug. I hear Dipper whisper something like "sorry," to Wendy, but I'm not really sure.

"Later, Dorks," Wendy says. "Oh yeah, and Dipper, I'm not forgiving you until next year, that should give you a little inventive to come back." She waves and gets back in the car. Even with the tinted windows, I can see that she's crying.

"See you next year, hambones," Soos says. He joins Wendy in the backseat.

We turn to Grunkle Stan.

"C'mere, knuckleheads," He gives us some affectionate noogies. He seems on the verge of tears. "You guys, I just want you to know, are the light in my life. I know I don't say this much, but you are what keeps me running. So try not to get hurt, kay? For your old man. Oh yeah, one more thing for each of ya. Mabel, you bring joy and kindness to me. Your jokes make me laugh. You make me see the positive side of things. You help me feel better when I'm down. Remember to share this talent with the world. Dipper, I want you to know something. I know you may think your a looser, but you're not to me, and I'm a pretty hard judge, if I do say so myself. I'm not sure how much that means to you, but yeah. Oh yeah, and you got some brains up there, kid. Go use them. I believe in you. Remember what I'm telling you, kids - you won't find me saying stuff like this often," he says. Tears are starting to pool in his eyes. "I need to be excused." He says and runs to the car, not wanting for us to see him cry.

"Last call for Bus #12363, departing Gravity Falls," The announcer over the loudspeaker says. I slowly trudge up the stairs. The bus is jam packed. Luckily, the last two seats were empty. We both sit down.

I glance over at Dipper. He seems really down in the dumps. I give him a sparkly sticker to make him feel better, but he doesn't even crack a smile. Suddenly, I have a genus idea.

**Dipper's POV:**

Well, this is it. We're driving away from Gravity Falls. I feel tears stinging my vision. I'm gonna really miss that place. I press my fingers against the window, savoring the warmth of the last summer heat.

"It means the world to me, Stan. It means the world that you believe in me," I whisper, half hoping he heard me even though that is impossible.

"Hey bro-bro, I have a genus idea!" Mabel tells me. I'm not excited. I'm not in the mood for craft projects right now.

"What?" I ask, unenthused. She pulls out her pink iPod.

"Wanna listen to Disco Girl?" She asks. I give her a small smile. That actually was a genus idea.

"Yeah, thanks Mabel." Then, glancing at the many people on the bus, I ask, "do you have earphones?"

"Nope!" She responds with a smile. She then tuns Disco Girl at full volume. We both humm along. Listening to music with my sister is just what the doctor called for.

"Oww, MAN!" Mabel says.

"What?" I ask, anxious.

"My batteries are dead!" She says with a pout, but a slow smile spreads over my face. I have an idea to make Mabel happy again, and even if it would be embarrassing, how many times has Mabel cheered me up? I owe her.

"Why are you smiling?" She asks.

"Now it's my turn for a genus idea," I respond.

**Mabel's POV:**

Genus idea? What was Dipper's idea?

"I'm confused," I tell him honestly.

"Don't be," he says. "Your favorite song's Taking Over Midnight by &amp;NDRA, right?"

"Dippinsauce say wha?" I ask. What is he doing? "But yeah, that is my favorite song."

He gives me a small smile. Then he stands up, holding onto the strap on the roof of the bus. He takes a deep breath.

"Hi people on this bus, I'm Dipper, and this is my twin, Mabel," He gestures to me. All eyes are on him. What is he doing?! Dipper hates crowds and public speaking?! Dipper continues. "And we're LOVE PATROL ALPHA! Today, we're turning this bus ride into a KARAOKE PARTY! Our first song will be...TAKING OVER MIDNIGHT BY &amp;NDRA!"

Then. He. Starts. Singing. Squee!

"Friday night, we're gonna party 'till dawn, don't worry daddy, I've got my favorite dress on!"

I finally catch on. I pick up my iPod as a pretend speaker and stand up with him.

"We're rolling to the party, the boys are looking our way, we just keep dancin' we don't care what they say!" I sing.

"And all the boys are getting up in my face," Dipper sings.

"Com'on, you aren't going to let me and my sister sing all alone up here while my voice cracks! Sing with us!" Dipper says. I'm surprised he's doing this, but to happy to really care.

The girl, around our age, sitting next to me, is the first to stand up.

"Boys are a bore, let's show em the door, we're taking over the dance floor!" We sing together. 3 more people stand up.

"Ohh, ohh, girls do what we like oh, oh, we're taking over to-night!" 5 more people stand up.

"Ohh, ohh, girls do what we like oh, oh, we're taking over to-night!" 7 more people stand up.

"We're queens of the disco!" 12 more people stand up!

"Ohh, ohh, girls do what we like oh, oh, we're taking over to-night!" 15 more people stand up!

"Taking over to-night!" The last 17 people stand up! Now everyone is singing!

"WOOH YEAH!" Dipper and I yell together.

"AUDIENCE CHOICE!" Dipper yells. "What song do you want next?!"

We've gone through Why You Actin' So CrayCray, Don't Start Unbelieving, Always Means Forever, Disco Girl, It'll Be This Way Forever, Cash Monday, and Dipper even let me play his voice remix and sings the Lamby Lamby!

We sing until my voice gets hoarse and Dipper's cracks more than normal, but we don't care. This is our last Gravity Falls Memory, I think we both want to make it extra special.

I take a picture of us singing together and slip it into my backpack. This will be our last Gravity Falls scrapbookertunituy, I think sadly.

Suddenly, I notice a teen filming us and the rest of the people on the bus! I look at his screen, and realize he's been filming for the whole hour we've been singing, and is still filming us! I need to show Dipper.

"Hey, Dip, looks like that guy has been filming us," I expect him to get mad and make the guy delete the recording, but, surprisingly, he does the opposite.

"Dude! Put the video on youtube! We can be INTERNET FAMOUS!" Dipper tells him. "And, oh yeah, one more thing," Dipper says, "HI GRUNKLE STAN, WENDY, AND SOOS! IF YOUR WATCHING THIS, THAT MEANS THE PINES ARE INTERNET FAMOUS! AND, IN THIS MOMENT OF EXTREME DELUSION, I'M GOING TO ADMIT: WENDY, I'M NOT OVER YOU! I STILL HAVE A GIANT CRUSH ON YOU! THIS IS GOING TO MAKE MABEL SO EXCITED!"

"Anything you want to add, Mabel?" He asks me.

"Oh my stars isn't Dipper AWESOME! Now, if you will excuse me, I have a wedding to plan! How'd you feel about that, Wendy?" I ask with a small giggle. I can't believe it! I can't believe Dipper is doing all of this! This is usually stuff we only do at home together!

**Dipper's POV:**

The bus ride is almost over, and yet I still can't believe I'm doing all of this. Oh, well. It is pretty fun, though!

"Okay, people, last song!" Mabel says. "What shall it be?"

The girl sitting next to us raises her hand. "How about a slower love song? We can dance in our seats," she offers.

"GREAT idea!" She says. She gives me a sideways glance with wiggly eyebrows. I cock my head, as if to say_ What?_

"Why don't you ask WENDY to dance?" She asks me.

"Mabel...Wendy's back at Gravity Falls," I say sadly.

"Oh, right," a look of sadness passes over her face.

"But hey, I could always dance with Wendy in my mind," I offer. "Let's just say, I've had a lot of practice," I say, trying to lift her spirits. It does a little.

"OK, this song is dedicated to my brother. Dream on, Dippin' Dots!" Mabel says with a wink.

Then, the guy who was filming REALLY surprises us. He hands the camera to a lady - his grandmother, possibly? - and takes out a cello. Woah, did not see that one coming! He starts playing a little jig.

Mabel is the first to act.

"Hey, would you like to dance?" She asks the guy sitting in front of her. He blushes deeply.

"Sure," He says, his voice deep and romantic. He stands up, reveling a tall and muscular body. I feel a twinge of envy. Snap out of it, Dipper, I tell myself.

"C'mon, Dipper! Join us!" Mabel tells me.

I reach into my bag and pull out the Wendy pillow.

"Pillow Wendy, would you care to have this dance?" I ask, mocking a black and white romance movie greeting. Mabel laughed out loud.

I took pillow Wendy and dragged her around the room for a bit before returning to my seat. I looked over at Mabel, who was getting the guy's phone number, and how happy she is right now. I smile from ear to ear, and I realize two things.

1\. I really like singing, and I should join the 7th grade chorus.

2\. I will do a lot to get my sister to be happy.

I sigh contentedly. Right in this moment, everything is perfect. My thoughts are quiet for a few seconds.

Suddenly, I get pulled into the dreamscape.

**Boom, DONE! Whew! Tell me what you thought of this chapter and review! Sorry about the cliff hanger and all the happy pappy stuff; the next chapters are super depressing and I wanted something good to happen before the disaster strikes. I WILL ONLY CONTINUE IF I GET A REVIEW ASKING ME TOO. Also, could you rate the chapters and tell me which one is the best/worst so I know what to improve?! THANKS TO EVERYONE!**

** ='.'= MEOW WOW,**

**Sparkles4life**


	4. Haunting Memories

**This chapter is going to be very depressing, just hang in there with me. It will all get better by the end of the story, don't worry :)**

**Anyway, thanks to: Evanescent Changling, Guest, anonymous, Gam919, Elizabeth, Tahney, GreatWhite93, Bedravi, Werweet, Writercrash, and WillieBadger618 for reviewing! Thanks to the 8 people that "faved" this story and the 16 people that "Followed" this story! You guys make my day!**

**Remember, readers: we put the FUN in NO REFUNDS! In other words, sorry If you don't like this chapter! I just REALLY needed to get this out of my system.**

**Dipper's POV:**

"Bill?" I asked as I entered the dreamscape.

"How'd you guess, Pine Tree?" A certain dorito-shaped demon I don't want to see appears in my line of vision.

"BILL! Why are you here?!" I ask, trying to seem threatening.

"Boy, kid, you sure look funny when you're mad," he says. "I just have been watching you and noticed something you might want to know.."

"WHAT! TELL ME ALREADY!" I scream. I've had enough of Bill fooling around.

"Pine Tree, I could kill you and everything you loved in 8 different ways on the spot," He warns me. "Don't try to get testy with me."

I glare back at him, but I know he's right. "Whaddaya want," I ask him.

"I have forseen a tragedy happening in your near future," he says. "I could stop this from happening..but of course, I'd want a small FAVOR in return.."

"NO! NO MORE FAVORS!" I yell at him. "NOW GET OUT OF MY MIND!"

"Sure..." he asked. Why was he being so persistent? Like he would actually do something that benefited me? No, no, he's just messing with my mind again, I think to myself.

"I'm sure. Now let me wake up!" I command.

"Okie dokie, if you insist," Bill says. He snaps his fingers and reality comes back into view.

**Bill's POV:**

What a stupid child. Oh well. He will pay for this. I'm not letting him go off that easy...

**Dipper's POV:**

"Dipper! Dipper! I got his number!" A very excited Mabel nearly crashes into me.

"That's great, Mabel," I say, only half listening. My mind is on what Bill said about a family disaster. Maybe he was just tricking me into another deal? Or was he actually trying to help me? Either way, it was making me insanely anxious.

"Hey, bro-bro, are you okay?" Mabel asked me.

"I'll tell you when we get back to the shack," I say. Her face gets all sad. "What's wrong?" I ask.

"Dipper, we just left Gravity Falls. We have 10 minutes 'till we're at Piedmont."

"Sorry. I forgot," I tell her.

"It's fine," she says with a sigh.

The slow song has ended, and the bus pulls up at the stop.

"1st stop, Piedmont California," The announcer says.

I twitch a little in my seat, and a cold sweat accumulates on my brow.

It's time for me to face my worst fear.

It's time for me to face the drunken monster, the man who has been torturing me in my sleep for weeks, months, years.

It's time for me to face Jim.

It's time to face my alcoholic father.

I grab my bag and slowly shuffle out of the bus. I'm nervous. I'm scared. I keep my head down and my cap over my eyes.

Breathe, breathe.

Mabel squeezes my hand. "Dipper, I'm here for you," she says. She protectively wraps her arms around me.

We know it's going to be a while before Jim comes, so we sit down on the dirty, smelly bus station waiting booth fold out seats and wait.

I allow my thoughts to drift.

_It was midnight. 12:01 and 36 seconds, to be exact. And I hadn't slept one wink yet. I become frantic with each passing second, knowing I need to get sleep so I can do good in school tomorrow. I look over at Mabel, fast asleep. Lucky Mabel. She has everything I don't have - friends, happiness, calmness, sleep..._

_The sound of a scream penetrates my envious thoughts. Mabel rolls out of bed._

_"Quiet, Dipper, I'm trying to sleep..." she says._

_"Mabel! That wasn't me!" I respond. She's fully awake now._

_"OHMYGOSH, is it a burglar?" She asks._

_I shrug. "Let's go find out."_

_We stalk down the empty hallways, frying pans in hand, in case we need to knock somebody out like we saw in Tangled._

_"The screams are coming from mom and dad's room!" I say. We quietly open the door._

_"There's no burglar in here..." Mabel tells me. She's right - there's just mom and dad. But mom's screaming._

_"What's wrong with her?" Mabel sounds scared. I feel a panic attack coming on. No, no, stay focused, I tell myself, but it is no use. _

_I grab Mabel's hand and start shaking. The world goes blurry. I try to hang on, but my anxiety gets the better of me. I hadn't had a panic attack in over 3 months - only 2 in my life. I don't know what happens next, but I wake up in the doctors office surrounded by my dad and Mabel in tears._

_"She's gone, Dipper," Mabel says. "I *sob* saw you have a panic attack *sob* and I helped you before *sob* helping mom. The doctors *sob* said that if we had *sob* gotten her to the hospital *sob* earlier, she wouldn't be dead." _

_Dad turns to us. I shield Mabel a bit, expecting an outburst directed at her. Instead, he turns towards me. _

_"YOU! YOU DID THIS TO MY WIFE! IF NOT FOR YOU, SHE'D STILL BE ALIVE! ELIZABETH WOULDN'T BE DEAD!" His eyes show a anger, but turn to sadness. He takes a deep breath and starts crying lightly. "When you and your sister were born, I was ecstatic. I hadn't always wanted a girl, but I fell in love with Mabel's bubbly personality from the moment she was born. However, I had higher hopes for you. I wanted you to be strong, popular, handsome...and be the person I could teach man - to - man stuff to. When I heard we had a boy, I kissed the nurse who showed him to me and danced around the waiting room. I lucked out on your sister here - but I couldn't be more disappointed by you. The son I was supposed to have, the son I would feel good bragging about, is you; a crybaby, weak, picked on, anxious, shrimp of a kid, and not only that, but if you hadn't had that panic attack, my Lizzie would still be alive! You murdered your own mother. And just so you know, I will NEVER love you. I'll never see you as anything more than a disappointment. You failed. You should be dead and Lizzie should be alive." His eyes are menacing._

_I try my best not to cry, but I fail. I fail at everything. I look over and see a baseball hat and put it on. I pull it over my eyes, and find it an effective way to hide my tears. In addition, it also hides that ugly birthmark on my forehead. I've worn one every day from then on._

_"Crying, eh?" my dad adds. "Weak. I refuse to call you my son." Since then, he's been "Jim" instead of "Dad" and I've been "Jerk" instead of "Dipper"._

_Days pass. Jim hasn't forgiven me. Almost every other word out of his mouth is a swear word. Weeks pass. He starts to rely on alcohol to drown out his problems. A Month passes. He's started to put us in debt buying liquor. I have panic attacks almost every night. __Two months pass. I miss mom; as does Mabel. Jim is drunk almost every minute of every day. Three months pass. Jim is a full blown alcoholic now. My grades start slipping. I start to hate myself. __We moved to a run-down house, we couldn't afford the other one. Four months pass. __ Jim hasn't forgiven me. I think he's going slightly insane. Me and Mabel have to get part-time jobs. I'm thinking of calling child protective services._

_Half a year has gone by. Jim decides to ship us off to Gravity Falls. _

_"BEGONE, JERK!" He tells me as we embarked on the bus. "I WON"T MISS YOU!" _

**Mabel's POV:**

"Dip!" I try and shake my zoned out twin back to reality. "Wake up!"

He gives me a small smile. "Sorry, I was lost in thought."

"Whatchya thinkin' about?" I ask.

He looks down. "Memories." Oh, memories? No wonder he's down in the dumps. He just needs some inspiration, I think to myself. Good idea, Mabel.

"Hey, I'm always going to be here for you," I say and give him a puffy sticker - my most precious kind of sticker that I only will give to Dipper.

"Puffy sticker! You shouldn't have, Mabel!" He tells me with a small smile. He knows puffy stickers are special. I wonder if he's okay...he seems to be zoning out a lot lately. Oh well, I guess I shouldn't dwell on it.

Suddenly, the last thing both of us want to see right now pulls up in the dirt.

Binged up and old, our father's Honda SUV never fails to disappoint and sink spirits.

**Done! Whew! Well, I guess this chapter wasn't too sad. THE NEXT ONE WILL BE DEPRESSING: YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!**

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. **

**Also, PLEASE review, even If you have already! It makes my day and helps motivate me to keep the chapters coming. Also, please fave and follow this story!**


	5. Scrapbookertunities and Monsters

**Key: *curse* means swear word, because I refuse to write or say any.**

**This whole chapter will be written in Dipper's Point of View.**

**Dipper's POV:**

I hear the roar of the old engine before I see the SUV pull up in the dirt. Although we've been waiting over 30 minutes for it to come, I think both me and Mabel have been dreading it.

I grip Mabel's hand tighter.

Jim walks out of the car. He's holding a half-drunk bottle of wine in his hands. He can barley walk. He gets out, and some wine pours onto the dirt road, staining it red, due to his tippy swagger. He audibly swears when he sees this, his voice too loud and his words slurring together.

For a second, I wish that I had told Gunkle Stan. That he would have called Child Care Services, and Mabel and I would have lived happily ever after in Gravity Falls together...and everything would be perfect and we'd be done with Jim for good...

Almost as if he can hear my thoughts, he responds with, "There's no *curse* fairy tale ending for everyone, Jerk."

He spits on the ground and grabs onto the car hood for balance. I suddenly realize how drunk he is. Isn't there a law against drunk driving? What if something bad happens? What if..what if..what if...

Mabel squeezing my hand interrupts my almost-panic attack. She gives me a smile. It calms me down. What would I do without her? I squeeze back. I still don't want Jim driving drunk, though.

"Umm," I whisper. My voice cracks slightly due to my nerves. "should you, you know, maybe, not drive..right now...or until...you're a little...less...drunk?" My voice gets weaker with every word.

"Speak to me like a man, jerk," he tells me. From somewhere inside, I feel a little light of confidence. Grunkle Stan really did teach me something after all.

"I think you should wait until you're not drunk to drive," I tell him honestly. I look up at him, my cap not even hiding my eyes.

"YOU SMART-MOUTHED *CURSE* JERK!" He shouts.

I see the punch in slow motion before I feel it, but when it hits me, it's like a thousand little shoots of pain are running up my jaw. Any little flicker of confidence I had is now gone.

"Ow. Ow, ow, ow, ow.. OW!" I walk around, trying not to cry. It is no use. Tears start dripping down my cheeks. Wow, this hurts. The pain spreads, and my whole face feels like it's on fire. I spit out blood. I haven't been hit in a while; I'm having a harder time than before.

Mabel's hand is on my shoulder.

"Shhh, Dippy, breathe," she says reassuringly. I barley hear her. "It's gonna be okay."

I tighten my grip on her hand. "Thanks, Mabel." Again, what would I do without her? "Does it look bad?" I turn my face towards her.

"You've had much worse," she responds. "But...I think we should put some ice on it."

She gently prods my bruised jaw. My nervous system takes over. I hiss at her and slap her hand away. Even Mabel's gentle touch sends sparks of fire up my injury and makes me see spots of black dotting my vision.

Mabel goes into nurse mode. "Okay. We need to get back to Jim's house as soon as possible, I need to do some research, and you need to ice that," she tells me.

"Okay," I say. "Let's get in the car." I don't want to, but the sooner we get to Jim's house the better. Besides, I think my jaw is starting to swell up.

Mabel gets into the car. I take a seat in the back with her.

Jim is already seated in front. Empty beer bottles litter the seats. I brush some aside to make room for Mabel to sit.

"Thanks," she whispers.

Jim takes a long swig from a bottle of wine. He fiddles with the radio until it's on the "rap" station and turns up the volume.

"AM I BLANCHIN',

GIRL WE BLANCHIN'

I LIVE UP IN THE MANSION,

AM I BLANCHIN',

GIRL WE BLANCHIN'

I LIVE UP IN THE MANSION,

ECHYA OWN PANTS,

ECHYA OWN PANTS, PANTS," is doing nothing to improve my throbbing headache.

**Mabel's POV:**

I look through my scrapbook. So many memories. All of a sudden, I see a flash.

"What's going on?!" I whisper-shout. I look up to see Dipper holding my camera.

"I just noticed you don't have any photos of just you in your scrapbook," he tells me, and hands me a developing photo of me scrapbooking.

I slip the photo into the last page of my scrapbook. I can't believe I finished the whole thing. For some reason, it makes me feel a little better.

"Thanks, Dippinsauce," I tell him.

"Thanks for always being there for me, Mabel," He tells me. Aww! We're having a twin moment! I take a picture of us together.

"Cool! Another Scrapbookertunity!" Dipper says. I smile that he's using a Mabel word, but this picture isn't going in the scrapbook. It's for Dipper.

I think of a quick message to write on the back.

_Dear Dippinsauce,_

_Rub this if you ever feel sad, and know I'll always be there to support you._

_Always. And that's a promise!_

_Love,_

_The best twin sister in the world,_

_Mabel_

I finish it off with some hearts, baby kitties, and a picture of us smiling and holding hands. Satisfied with my work, I slip it in Dippy's pocket. He's looking out the window, so I don't think he saw.

"Mystery twins?" I say and put out my fist.

"Mystery twins." His fist lightly bumps mine. I give him a sticker of a cracked egg talking to another egg that says "you crack me up!"

He gives me a smile and takes a sticker that has a 5 floating the clouds that says "high five!"

We sit for a moment in comfortable silence. Well, if you're not counting the poopy rap music blaring.

"ECHYA OWN PANTS,

ECHYA OWN PANTS, PANTS..."

**Dipper's POV:**

"AM I BLANCHIN',

GIRL WE BLANCHIN'

I LIVE UP IN THE MANSION," vibrates through my skull. Wow, I hate that song.

I look up at the front seat, suddenly nervous again. What if we crash? What if I die? Calm down, Dipper, I tell myself. I decide to take a few deep breaths. Panicking won't help this situation.

In, out.

In, out.

In, out.

More relaxed, I open my eyes to see us flying into a car at top speed.

**He he he. CLIFFHANGERS! I love writing them, and I despise reading them. Hope you liked this chapter, I am fully aware it was short. I wanted to have a nice chapter before the big tragedy..DUN DUN DUN!**

**Thanks to the reviewers: Fan, wolves1313, ****Evanescent Changling, Guest, anonymous, Gam919, Elizabeth, Tahney, GreatWhite93, Bedravi, Werweet, Writercrash, and WillieBadger618.**

**Thanks to the 13 people that favorited this story and the 19 people that followed it. You guys are meow worthy!**

**Have a nice day!**

**AND BEFORE YOU GO...**

**PLEASE review and favorite and follow this story! I accept criticism! And non-critical reviews! OR ideas! Or anything, really! Anything without curse words, preferably! PLEASE take a second out of your day to write a review! :) It doesn't have to be a fantastic, heartfelt review (even if I do like those..) it means a lot to me that you took the time to do this.**

**Also, I'm debating continuing this story, review whether you want me to/don't want me to continue! **

**THANKS PEOPLE WHO READ THIS STORY!**

**Meow wow ='.'= Cats FURever!**


	6. Car Accidents and Hospitals

**Warning: This chapter gets intense :)**

**Also, people have been requesting longer chapters, so here's a longer one. Enjoy!**

**Warning: contains some spoilers to Stan is Not What He Seems.**

**Watch the episode before reading!**

**Also, review!**

**Let's get going, and, as always, enjoy!**

**Dipper's POV:**

I usually wouldn't have give a second glance to the blue Toyota-Hybrid mini van if I just saw it on the road. But today is different, and that exact car is getting many second glances from me, mostly because we are running into it at top speed.

"MABEL!" I gasp, my voice panicked and cracking.

"OHMYGOSH, OHMYGOSH," she says.

"TURNLEFT!TURNLEFT!" I shout. Jim is way to drunk to hear me.

We've almost collided with the car.

"DIPPER!" Mabel shreeks and jumps on top of me, her hands guarding my head and forcing me down.

"MABEL! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" I scream back.

"SAVING YOUR LIFE, DUMB-DUMB! THANK ME LAT.." She never gets to finish her sentence.

Jim's car bangs into the Toyota, and the sound of metal against metal grinds in my ears. The car has hit...where I'm sitting. BUH-BUMP. My head is thrown forwards and crashes back. I feel the wall push in with the force to throw me across the car. Good thing I'm wearing my seatbelt. The world goes slightly blurry; not due to a panic attack, but due to the sheer impact of the crash. I look over at Mabel. Time slows down. I hear a RRRIPPP, and I see her seatbelt tear and send her flying across the car seats. She breaks the window and glass shatters everywhere. She falls on the concrete with a THUD. With the speed she has, it sends her airborne before she lands with a THUMP.

"MABEL! MABEL!" I scream. No answer. I feel my legs running toward her.

Guilt and panic overwhelm me. She took some of the force meant for me; I owe her...my life. I glance at my twin. She doesn't look so good. She may be dead. If only I hadn't let her protect me, if only I had grabbed her before she fell, if only, if only, if only I wasn't such a bad brother.

Tears sting my vision and I feel a panic attack come on. I try and breathe but I only hyperventalate more, what to do, whattodo, ahh, didIjustkillmysister, whattodo...

"NO!" I shout. It awakens me from my almost attack. I won't give up on Mabel. I won't make the same mistakes as before. Once she's in the hospital, I can have the biggest attack of my life, I promise. Just not right now, I tell myself.

I don't realize I've been running until I see her in my vision.

"Mabel, please, Mabel, please, please, hang on," I tell her. "Say something, please," my voice is soft. Hot tears leak through my eyes. I notice a small crowd of people gathering around us, keeping a safe distance. Jim is in the car. I'm not going to take care of him. He's on his own.

"Anyone have a phone?" I ask. The calm and business like tone I have surprises me.

A man gives me an iPhone.

I press the buttons as best as I can, my hand shaking a little. 9. 1. 1.

"Hello, please state your emergency," a woman's voice asks.

"My sister and I got in a car crash. My sister is..badly hurt. We need an ambulance, fast. We're on the edge of Highway 101, intersection number 6," I tell her.

"Okay. We're on our way," the person says. "We just need a little information on your emergency."

"Well..." I glance at Mabel. Blood is starting to pool around her from who knows where. "She's bleeding badly. I still can feel her heart, though, but her breathing is shallow. She doesn't respond to anyone. I think she's out cold," I tell her.

"Okay. We'll be there in around 5 minutes," she says.

The man starts to take his phone back, but there's one more thing I need to do. I press in 514-603-8239. The phone buzzes for a while.

"Eh? Who is this? Are you the tax collector?" I breathe a sigh of relief at Grunkle Stan's rough voice. He recognizes my sigh.

"Kid? Dipper?" he asks. I would love to chat, but I'm starting to feel light-headed. I need to tell him what to do - and fast.

"Grunkle Stan. Mabel and I were in a car accident, and Mabel's really hurt. I need you to come to The California Emergency Room as fast as possible. Bring Wendy and Soos," I tell him.

"Where are you're parents?" He asks.

"PLEASE! JUST COME!" I yell. Then, in a calmer voice, I add, "Our parents...aren't...able to help us right now. I need you there."

He senses the urgency in my tone. Suddenly serious, he tells me, "We'll be there late tonight."

I hand the man his phone. Suddenly, I feel very faint. That bonk on the head must be more serious than I expected. The last thing I feel is my head crashing on the pavement.

"Help," I whisper.

**Wendy's POV:**

I sit at the counter, pretending to be reading a magazine, when really, I'm bored out of my mind and feeling indifferent. With only 5 days of summer left and Mabel and Dipper gone, there's really nothing for me to do.

A customer makes her way up to the register. She gives me a mug, t-shirt, fake eyeball, and bumper sticker to ring up. I dutifully scan all of them in.

"How much?" She asks with a smile.

I look at the register. "That would be seventy-five dollars, please," I tell her.

She hands over three twenties, a ten, and a five and grabs the items. I see her walk out of the door and the bell jingles DLING!

"THE MYSTERY SHACK IS NOW CLOSED!" Grunkle Stan yelling over the loudspeaker startles me.

"But Mr. Pines, there are still some tourists," I tell him.

"WELL THEN! ALL TOURISTS OUT!" Confused, the rest of the tourists shuffle out.

"Wha..what's going on?" I ask. I don't know how to respond to this.

"Wendy, Soos, Start up EL DIABLO!" He yells in my direction.

I take the keys to Stan's car and put them in before taking my seat in the shotgun. Soos sits in the backseat with snacks. Soon thereafter, Stan comes running out in a panic.

He forces a map into my hands. "Wendy, directions to Piedmont, California," he requests.

I take a look at the map. UGGH! This map will only get us lost! I put directions in my phone.

"Starting route to: Piedmont, California," Siri's mechanical voice drones. "In 2 miles, turn left."

"Sooo...why are we driving to nowhere particular in the middle of the day?" I ask.

"Mabel and Dipper were in a car crash," he tells me. "I don't know many details, but I know we need to get there as fast as humanly possible."

**Dipper's POV:**

I wake up in an unfamiliar place. Blinking lights, uncomfortable beds, and the sensation...that we're moving?!

A woman in a white robe towers over me. AGHHHHHHH! What is she trying to do?! Is she going to kill me?!

"PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!" I yell and curl myself into a ball.

"Silly, I'm not going to kill you," she says. "I'm a nurse. You and your sister are going to the hospital."

Mabel. How could I have forgotten about her?!

"Mabel? Mabel? MABEL?!" I ask.

"Calm down, you're sister's right here," she says and leads me to a sleeping Mabel. I run over to her. Did I call to late?!

"Mabel, Mabel, Mabel," I whisper. Salty tears pour onto her. "Please, Mabel, just say something."

I feel the nurse's hand on my shoulder. "Best not to try to wake her," she tells me. Sadness is in her eyes. "Why don't you rest; you got hit pretty badly."

Something hits me. Jim. Is he dead? _I hope so..._, a part of my mind says. Guilty, I push that part of my mind away.

"Umm...how's Jim?" I asked.

"Jim? You mean your father?" she corrects me.

"No. I mean Jim," I say.

"Well. Okay then. _Jim_ is in another ambulance; we think he has alcohol poisoning," she tells me.

"Oh. Okay then," I say.

She gets mad. "You're not going to go begging and crying over you're father's condition?" She asks. "You don't care that he's most likely going to die?!"

I give her a glare. Why is she being so intrusive?! Well, I guess she doesn't know about our relationship. "If you knew what kind of things he did and said to me and Mabel, I don't think you would be asking me to mourn his inevitable death," I answer curtly. She doesn't need to know any more.

She looks startled. "Oh..well...okay then," she says. I feel a little bad for her, I mean, she was just confused.

"Sorry," I whisper. "I'm just having a hard time. It's not you're fault."

That seems to have cheered her up a bit.

"It's okay, hon," she says and puts an arm around me. "Tell me if you need anything."

I turn back towards Mabel and feel something flutter out of my pocket. I pick it up from the ground.

It's a polaroid picture of me and Mabel in the car before the crash. I turn it over.

_Dear Dippinsauce,_

_Rub this if you ever feel sad, and know I'll always be there to support you._

_Always. And that's a promise!_

_Love,_

_The best twin sister in the world,_

_Mabel_

I rub the picture and tears smudge the words. "Oh, Mabel," I whisper to her unconscious body. "If only I was a better brother to you." Mabel really is the best twin in the world.

I grasp her cold hand. "Please. Please, don't leave me," I beg. "Not yet. You're whole life is in front of you! Who else will be able to change fashion? Who else will inspire the people to be better? Who else will be the person who can make even Grunkle Stan laugh?" I choke on my words. "Who else will be the mystery twin?" Mabel's sheet is now covered in my salty tears. "Please, please get better, Mabel. You've got a world to change." I can't go on, so I plop my head down on her covers and sob.

I feel the ambulance stop, interrupting my cry-fest. I feel a hand on my shoulder. I look up to see it's the nurse from before.

"It's time to go," she says and gently takes my hand. My legs feel weak, and they buckle when I try and walk. Luckily, she's there to catch me. "Careful," she warns. I feel sturdy hands pick me up and carry me into the hospital. I can barely see; the world is a fuzzy blur.

The hospital is surprisingly cold. The cool air makes it easier for me to breathe, as it is less stuffy, so I welcome it. Through the haze, I see myself passing rooms, crying parents, bathrooms, doctors, hand sanitizing machines...we abruptly stop. I see Mabel in a bed next to the one I'm set in, our two beds separated by a flimsy white curtain.

A doctor comes in to examine me. I'm too zoned-out to know what's going on, and too tired to think straight, but there's one thing I know for sure: I'm not falling asleep until I have Mabel back.

**Mabel's POV (Just so you know: Her POV is a Dream/flashback) :**

_The almost-like-summer-heat of fall is enough to put me in a great mood._

_"Nice day, right!" I say to my BFF Rosalyn, who goes by Rosie. _

_"YOU BET!" She flashes me a giant smile. We run to our next class: English._

_After discussing The Giver by Lois Lowry in depth, it's time for recess._

_"YES! RECESS!" We yell together._

_We run as fast as humanly possible to the swings, wanting to be the first in line. WE ARE!_

_I high-five Rosie. "WOO YEAH!" I yell._

_I'm about to grab the swing when I notice Dipper sitting alone on the bench. All of a sudden, four boys come over._

_"Aww, if it isn't LITTLE DIPPER," they tease. I see Dipper trying to hide his birthmark. "Whatchya gonna do, wimp, call for your SISTER?"_

_I feel a flame of rage. "Hold on a sec, Rosie, I'll be back," I say._

_"HEY!" I yell at the taunting boys. "STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" Rosie's right behind me._

_"BEAT IT, LOOSERS!" She yells. When she comes over, they look terrified and run away. Rosie's a brown belt in Kung-fu._

_We fist bump. I look at Dipper. He turns away. _

_"I didn't need you to do that," he almost whispers. "I could handle them by myself."_

_He runs off. I follow._

_"Stop it!" He tells me. "You're just making me feel worse!"_

_"Dipper," I tell him. "You help me all the time. Studying for tests, homework, getting me out of Sweater Town...you name it. So when I see you need help, I'm gonna try my best to help you."_

_He looks up at me._

_"And don't try and stop me. I'M INVINCIBLE!" I say, trying to lighten the mood._

_"Okay, Mabel," he says._

_"Besides. We're twins. It's our job to look out for one another. I'll always be there for you Dipper," I say._

_"I'll always be there for you, Mabel," he says. "__Awkward sibling hug?" _

_"Awkward sibling hug," I say. "__PAT PAT."_

_I'll always be there for you, Dipper. I think that may be the first lie I ever told him, because I'm not sure I'm going to recover from this injury._

**Dipper's POV:**

"Okay, um, Dipper, you have no serious injuries other than a minor concussion and a bad bruise on your jaw; I want you to take these medications for a week until things clear up. If pain persists, contact your doctor, but other than that, wait in the waiting room until comes to get you," the doctor tells me.

"Um, Mr. Richard, could I see my sister?" I ask. I need to see Mabel.

"Unfortunately not. Your sister is in much worse condition then you; she is not ready for visitors. Perhaps tomorrow," he tells me.

I sigh and try to hold back my disappointment. "Okay," I whisper.

I slowly trudge into the waiting room. Full of waiting children and parents, the dismal aura of this room isn't welcoming. The sounds of Cartoon Network is the only noise other than crying, whispering, and the occasional sneeze. Suddenly, a sound catches my attention.

_"Lead through the mist,_

_By the milk-light of moon,_

_All that was lost,_

_Is reviled._

_Our long by-gone burdens,_

_Mere echoes of the string,_

_But where have we come?_

_And where shall we end?_

_If dreams can't come true,_

_Why not pretend?_

_How the gentle wind,_

_Beckons through the leaves, _

_As autumn colors fall._

_Somewhere lost in the clouded annals of history lies a place that few have seen._

_A mysterious place, called The Unknown, where long-forgotten stories are reviled_

_To those who travel through the wood."_

Over the Garden Wall! Mabel and I used to watch this show together every Sunday! Every Sunday...even before...

_"Dippy! Wake up, Sleepyhead!" Mabel's cheery voice awoke me._

_"MABEL! It's seven o'clock! Let me sleep!" I grumpily mumble to her._

_"It's the first episode of Over the Garden Wall - that show you wanted to see! It's airing right now!" she shouts._

_That makes me wake up. "What are we waiting for! Let's GOOO!" We run downstairs in our PJ's just as the first notes of the song ring out.._

_"Lead through the mist.."_

_"I'm SOO excited!" Mabel yells._

_"Me too!" I say and grab her hand as we take a seat on the couch._

_Dad comes over. "You're up?!" I ask._

_"You really think I'D miss the first episode of Over the Garden Wall?!" he asks and ruffles my hair._

_He sits in between us. Mabel and I snuggle up next to him._

_"LET THE FAMILY T.V. TIME COMMENCE!" she shouts. _

_After almost an hour of crying, laughing, and getting scared with Greg, Wirt, and Beatrice, mom comes over._

_"What are you fools doing?!" she asks and gives dad a peck on the cheek._

_"Watching Over the Garden Wall," I say._

_"Okay. Well, have fun, I'm going to work, and Jim, DO NOT allow the kids to eat ice cream for breakfast like last weekend!" mom says. Dad gives us a wink. Mabel fails to suppress a smile. _

_"Jim," mom says warningly._

_"Okay, okay, Lizzie," he says and kisses her goodbye. We turn back to the T.V. and pull out tubs of ice cream._

Hot tears slowly stream down my cheeks, but I have a stupid smile on my face. I look around and realize everyone's watching me.

"You okay?" a man asks.

"Sorry. I just...used to watch this show with my twin sister. She's hurt," I tell them.

I'm surprised but happy when the woman sitting next to me envelopes me in a hug.

"My son is hurt, too," she says.

"As is my wife," a man adds.

"And my brother," a young girl whispers.

Pretty soon, everyone is telling other people about their problems and getting comforted. With everyone sharing and supporting each other, I'm starting to feel..almost...happy.

I almost forget about my troubles. The nurse from before comes up and reminds me of them.

"Dipper Pines? Your...Jim...is requesting a visit with you," she tells me.

"Umm, why?" I ask grumpily, my voice cracking slightly. She gives me a "behave yourself young sir" look. Ugh. He probably just wanted to punch me one last time before he died.

Resentful, I enter the room.

Jim smiles when he sees me.

I back into the darkest corner.

"Wait, Dipper!" he says. Wait, what did he call me? Dipper?

"What did you call me?" I ask, surprised.

"Dipper. That's your name, right?" What is he doing?

I attempt to run away. This is getting too weird.

"Please. My dying wish is that you just hear me out. I haven't been this sober in a while; I need to tell you this while I can still think straight," he says. Dying wish? To talk to me?

"Fine. Let's get this over with," I say.

"Okay," he looks down. "Dipper, the day Elizabeth died was by far the worst day of my entire existence. I didn't know what to do. I felt it was my fault. If I had gotten up to take her to the hospital, everything would be fine. But, instead, I slept and had you two take care of it. I heard her screams that night. Heard them. And yet, I thought she was just having a nightmare." he takes a deep breath. "That day, after she died, I was so *curse* upset with myself I didn't know what to do. So I took out the angry feelings I had on you. You, my 11 year old boy! Oh my, I must have been depressed because who in the right of mind would DO something like that to their child!" He buries his face in his hands. "After that day, I didn't know how to apologize, so I started relying on alcohol to solve my problems for me. In the drunk state I was usually in, I felt like it was OK to take out my problems on you. I started to see you as the enemy. HOW COULD I HAVE CONVINCED MYSELF OF THAT?!" he's yelling now.

"I just want you to know, all of this has been my fault. I blamed it on you because it was easy. You, your the strong one, Dipper! I'M the looser!" His voice is raspy now. I think he's close to death. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so, sorry. And, just so you know, I will always be proud to call you my son. Will you accept my apology?"

I don't know how to respond to this. So easily could I just never accept it and give him payback for what he did to me. But I look into his eyes. And it hits me. This is the same look that Grunkle Stan gave to me and Mabel in the underground lab area, when she was about to press the button. "_Just look into my eyes. I may have done some bad things, but do you really think I'm a bad guy?"_ Do I really think my dad's a bad guy?

I followed my logic instead of my heart when I wanted to press that button. Am I strong enough now to follow my heart? What would Mabel do? What would Mabel want me to do?

I suddenly know what to say.

"Look, um, dad, I won't forgive the Jim that constantly harassed me, the Jim that punched me for almost no meaning, the drunk Jim, the hypocrite that killed my sister. But, I will forgive YOU. Sure, you've done some bad things, but if I look into your eyes right now, I don't see Jim. I see the father that would wake up early to watch Over the Garden Wall and fed us ice cream for breakfast, the person before the accident. I will never forgive Jim, but dad, I will forgive you," I say, noticing small tears running down my cheeks.

"Dipper," he starts. He can barley talk. "All this time, and you still have the goodness in your soul to forgive me. Dipper Pines, my son, you truly are a hero."

He closes his eyes.

"Wait! No! Don't die!" I say, but I know it's too late.

He's gone.

Slowly, in a daze, I make my way back to the waiting room, but a nurse grabs my hand.

"You need to come to your sister's room, quick!" she tells me. What's going on! Did she die?

"What happened to my sister?" I ask in a panic.

"Hon, I'm not gonna sugarcoat this for you. Your twin sister is very badly injured. She may even have a broken neck; the doctors are still doing tests, but your father's money is running low. He gave us the OK to use his money on Mabel," she adds. "She kept calling your name, and we think it would be best if you saw her," she says.

Oh no. Severe neck injury? No, nonononono! Not Mabel! Take me instead!

"Is...my sister...gonna die?" I ask, my voice barely a whisper.

She puts an arm around me.

"We're not sure."

I go into the room where Mabel is. She looks pale and fragile, but she's awake and still my sister.

"Mabel," I run towards her, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Dippinsauce," she says and coughs loudly.

"OhmygoshMabelareyouokay?" my words blend together.

"Dippy, I want you to know something," she croaks. "If I die - "

"NONONO!" I interrupt her. "You're going to be okay. Just...just wait a bit, okay? We need to see what happened to our karaoke video, right?" I don't know what to do. If ever-positive Mabel is negative, things must be pretty bad.

All of a sudden, a frantic doctor rushes in. "Her neck is broken; she could be paralyzed or dead if we don't act soon!" he says in a panic. "Everybody, we need immediate surgery! Kid, go to the waiting room!"

I slowly make my way into the waiting room and sit in one of the chairs. Broken neck? Surgery? Paralyzed or dead? Unhappy Mabel? Nothing makes sense, nothing at all. Panic overwhelms me.

A world without Mabel? Dead? Dying? What is life? Why did my dad apologize? What's going on? Will Mabel never get to finish her sentence? Why am I such a bad brother? Stan? Wendy? Soos? Snacks, sleep, help, dying, help, Mabel? Sentence finish Mabel? I grab onto the chair. Food? SLEEP? MABEL? DEAD? SAD, HAPPY, FINE, DEAD?

HELP.

**SEVEN HOURS PASS**

**Stan's POV:  
**

"C'mon, c'mon," I urge my car to go faster. It's 4:30 in the morning, and I'm almost at the hospital. We've been driving for 12 hours straight. Thankfully, Wendy, Soos, and I have been taking shifts driving, so we've all gotten around 8 hours of sleep each, with each person driving for 4 hours, so not any of us are tired or sleep deprived.

"SNORE," Soos snores loudly, fast asleep in the backseat. Beside him, Wendy mumbles softly in her sleep.

I pull up in the parking lot of The California Emergency Room and breathe a sigh of relief. We're finally here.

"Wendy, Soos, WAKE UP KNUCKLEHEADS!" I yell.

Wendy jolts awake and shakes Soos.

"Five more minutes," he mumbles. GHA! I don't have time for this nonsense!

"SOOS, WAKE UP!" I screech in his face.

"Oh, hello, Mr. Pines," he says.

"We're here. Let's go," I tell them. I start walking towards the doors, suddenly nervous.

"Sure this is the right hospital, Wendy?" I ask gruffly.

"Yeah," she says sleepily.

I open the door to be greeted with a bright light.

"GAH! SO BRIGHT!" I yell, only to be shushed by the front desk people.

I stand a full minute in the doorway, attempting to get used to the light. When my eyes are finally adjusted, I look around for Dipper.

I scan the room. A middle-aged lady, a teenager, an old woman, a young boy and his father, a baby, and...Dipper. Thankful I found the right hospital, I walk up to him. I stop once I see his present condition.

Gosh, he looks terrible. His hair is everywhere and his shirt is...oddly wet? His head is down, and when he makes eye contact with me, his eyes are red and puffy from crying. Tears leak out of them and dark bags reveal he hasn't slept all night. His hands grip the chair's armrest hard and his jaw is swollen and bruised. He looks very dehydrated. A wave of sympathy washes over me for my great-nephew.

"Hey, kid, are you okay?" I ask. He turns his head away from me.

"Mabel," he whispers. "Please be okay."

**Dipper's POV:**

I'm not sure if she's gone. I'm not sure if she's here. I'm not sure how her surgery's going. I'm not sure if I'm in a panic attack. I'm not sure if Grunkle Stan, Soos, and Wendy are actually standing over me, or if it's just my imagination.

I'm not sure of anything right now.

However, I'm mildly aware that someone's shouting my name. This voice becomes more and more frantic.

Another voice, female this time, is yelling at me to drink something.

I feel water being poured in my mouth. I allow it to slide out. I'm not going to drink right now.

The first voice is yelling at me again.

I wish they would stop bothering me. I'm only going to listen to one voice. The doctor's.

Click. Click. Click. The doctor's patent leather dress shoes approach me.

"My sister?" I whisper-ask and look up at him.

"I'm sorry. Your sister...she couldn't be saved. We tried our best," he says. His best wasn't enough. Why didn't they try harder? How could they have let Mabel die?

When I thought about this moment, I expected to be angry. To fight the doctor, to punch something, to yell.

Instead, I feel empty. She's gone. Gone, gone, dead.

My sister.

My twin.

My best friend.

With stiff fingers, I pull out the book I've been hiding behind my back.

MABEL'S SCRAPBOOK can clearly be read in colorful stickers. Rainbows and kitty and glittery stickers litter the front.

I turn to the first page.

"Dipper and I are in Gravity Falls!" she wrote in pink glittery pen under a picture of us.

I keep on looking through the scrapbook.

Her first kiss with Mermando.

The "Failed" Summer Romances.

My first broken heart, after talking to Wendy.

The many mysteries we solved.

The sock opera.

All I have left of her are these memories.

I look up, and there she is. Yes! My sister! Mabel! I call towards her. Wait, she's dead, that's not her.

Another one appears. And another. I'm surrounded by hallucinations.

Help! HELP! But I can't seem to get my throat to make any sound. HELP!

"I'm here, Dipper!" They chant. "I'm right here!"

What's going on?! What to do, what to do! I try and fight them off, but nothing's working.

I'm loosing my mind!

HELP! ANYONE! GRUNKLE STAN! WENDY! SOOS!

BILL!

I almost feel relived when I see the world fading to black.

"Well, well, well, well, well," Bill says, appearing. "Someone's looking desperate!"

**Thanks to the reviewers: The Muffin Who Eats Cake, IDon'tDoSummaries, Iwovcats101, Laura, Ok, Love, soniczhedgehog, Fan, wolves1313, ****Evanescent Changling, Guest, anonymous, Gam919, Elizabeth, Tahney, GreatWhite93, Bedravi, Werweet, Writercrash, and WillieBadger618.**

**Thanks to the 15 people that favorited this story and the 24 people that followed this story.**

**Your infinite support is very much appreciated.**

**Also...**

**Please review! If every person who read this took a second to review, think about how many reviews this story would have!**

**I will not diss you if you have negative feedback!**

**Thanks again!**

**Also...**

**If you have not, WATCH OVER THE GARDEN WALL! If you like Gravity Falls, I guarantee you will not be disappointed!**

**That's all from me,**

**So,**

**MEOW WOW ='.'= CATS FURever!**


	7. Bill's Chat

**Warning: Attempted suicide.**

**Thanks to the reviewers and followers and favoriters!  
Enjoy!**

**Dipper's POV:**

"Well, well, well, well," Bill's voice echoes. "Someone's looking desperate!"

I don't know how to respond. I can barley hear him. The whole world seems dull, and not because I'm in the dreamscape. I'm stuck in my own mind, my own little world in which I'm being held prisoner. My legs wobble. I don't feel the impact of my knees crashing towards the ground, even though I should have.

It suddenly hits me. Mabel's gone. She's never coming back.

She's gone forever.

She's never going to walk into a university. We're never going to have another awkward sibling hug. She's never going to get a job; never going to call back that boy from the bus; never going to karaoke again; never going to dream, love, hate, smile, laugh, cry, scowl, kiss, punch, giggle, snort, draw, knit, play, tease, breathe again.

She's gone, vanished into the layers of time, her mark erased from the book that is life, her strings pulled upward, gone from the stage of the puppet show that is our universe.

My sister is dead.

And there's nothing I can do about it.

All the anger I didn't feel before, all the bloodlust curling inside of me, all the hatred I felt towards Mabel's death is suddenly there. I turn up my head to glare at Bill, this is his fault, he killed my sister...

WAIT.

He had tried to warn me. I didn't listen. I could have not allowed Jim to drive drunk. I didn't. I should have not allowed Mabel to guard me. I was too selfish. I could have grabbed Mabel in the car. I didn't act fast enough. I could have ran faster to her and pressed in the numbers on the phone faster. I was too slow. I had so many opportunities, so many missed chances to save Mabel.

And.

I.

Messed.

Up.

Every.

One.

I.

Have.

Killed.

My.

Best.

Friend.

I.

Have.

Killed.

My.

Sister.

I.

Have.

Killed.

My.

Twin.

I.

Have.

Killed.

Mabel.

I am the villain. I'm the reason for her death. I barley realize that in the real world, Grunkle Stan, Wendy, and Soos are panicking. I barley realize in the dreamscape, Bill is actually trying to help me by trying to coax me out of my present condition. I barley realize that in the spirit world, Mabel is whispering, "Don't do it, Dipper."

None of that matters now.

I'm in my own little world, and I look down to see a knife in my hands.

I take a deep breath.

It's time.

I rub the smooth leather handle and slowly plunge the knife deep into my chest.

**Bill's POV:**

I watch as my enemy thrusts the knife into his chest.

I should be happy. This is what I wanted, right?

With Pine Tree and Shooting Star gone, I have less things that can get in the way of my plan.

But.

But I look over at Pine Tree, and I don't see Dipper. I don't see a small child committing suicide.

I see a young boy named William, going to insanity and craving power once everything he loved disappeared.

I see myself dying on the inside when my family faded into the shadows.

The stab hurts me as much as it hurts him.

I look over, and I know I have to help him.

_"NO!" _The other half of me yells. _"These souls can be traded for something even more valuable: Stanford's will. Use them," _It commands.

_"NO!" _Another part of me screams. _"Souls of children cannot be bartered and traded like toys! You must save him! You know how, William," _My old name sends shivers up my spine.

I have started an internal war.

But unlike the wars the people have, I have no idea how this one will end.

I barley realize what I'm doing till I do it. Slowly, the knife pulls out of the young boys body and time starts rewinding.

**Stan's POV:**

I watch as Dipper pulls out a knife. I have no idea where he got it from. Panic starts to rise in me.

"Dipper, kid, what do you have that for?" I ask nervously. He's not going to stab the scrapbook, right?

He looks up at me with sheer hatred in his eyes. I back away.

"Now, now," I say, panicking slightly. "Let's not hurt anyone yet, shall we?"

I look back at him one more time. I realize the anger is directed at himself too late.

He stabs something worse than the scrapbook.

I have just witnessed my great nephew committed suicide.

I sit there, dumbfounded. I'm not sure what to do.

I'm beginning to rethink life when all of a sudden I see the knife pull out of him. He holds it for a while and the lifts his head. He puts Mabel's Scrapbook away.

I would think that he just rethought his choice, but I know better. Someone - or something - made it so that his inner clock rewinded and his actions played backwards while the rest of the people just saw him do some play practice for Romeo and Juliet or something. But why?

"BILL!" I scream in my mind. I don't know what he's playing at, but I've had him messing around with my great nephew and niece enough. Bill arrives almost instantly, but something feels off. He seems...different.

"What are you playing at, Bill?" He's probably just messing with me.

He doesn't answer immediately. "Don't expect favors like that all the time, Pines," he finally answers.

It hits me. Bill saved Dipper. Bill had saved my Great-nephew.

"Thank you," I mutter and give one of my very rare hugs to the triangle. Tears sting my eyes. I'm too thankful to act gruff right now.

Then I remember Mabel.

**Bill's POV:**

Did he just hug me? Did Stanford Pines just hug me?

I don't know how to respond to this. He's actually...Thankful for what I've done. I haven't had such a positive emotion directed towards me in ages. It triggers something inside of me. A memory. A human memory.

_"William!" My mom's voice calls._

_"Coming, Mom," I respond._

_"Quickly!" She yells. "Dinner's ready!"_

I just remembered a memory. I haven't had something like that in so long, I almost forgot I used to be human.

My past used to be a hazy blur, but I never really cared. My most recent memory of being a demon is the power. Power, surrounding me. I remember that I used it for good at first, always fulfilling my end of the bargain. Until I realized I didn't have to fulfill my part. I could lie and nobody would know.

I remember that's when I started loosing my human memories.

I guess doing something out of the goodness of my heart for once made a big difference.

I hear the old man talking again, pulling me out of my brain world and back into reality.

"Mabel," he says. "What about Mabel?"

I sigh and almost bring her back to life.

_No, Bill, _the voice tells me. I can feel the evil seeping back into my soul. I leave the dreamscape before I do something too rash.

I feel Pine Tree calling me. I hurry over to his dreamscape.

**Stan's POV:**

Well, that was just about the weirdest interaction I've ever had with Bill. I mean, he saved Dipper and then just vanished! But I can't dwell on it now. I need to focus on Dipper.

I turn towards him. Gosh, he looks like death. I don't think he's had any fluid in over 24 hours, and he definitely hasn't been sleeping. I can't believe only 4 days ago, he was solving mysteries with Mabel.

"Dipper," I whisper.

He stares at me.

"Let's go," I can't bear to stay in this place any longer.

He pushes himself up, in an attempt to walk, and promptly falls on his face. What do I do? I don't know how to handle depressed, dehydrated, sleep-deprived children.

I decide to carry him. I mean, he obiously can't walk. I try and pick him up, but he holds onto the chair. Well, I guess we're not leaving anytime soon.

I turn towards Wendy.

**Wendy's POV:  
**

I realize Stan's looking at me.

"Need anything, Wendy?" he asks. I shake my head.

I turn back towards Dipper.

"Dipper, can you hear me?" I ask softly. I shake him a little. His hat falls off of his head, exposing his unique birthmark. Dipper never lets anyone see his birthmark unless he really trusts them, and he's showing a room full of patients it. Something's really wrong. I become panicked.

"Stan," I say. "STAN!"

He turns towards me. I point at Dipper.

"He can't hear us!" I yell. "What do we do?!"

Tears dot my vision.

"Get him some water," he sounds stressed. "I think he's dehydrated."

"We've already tried that!" I don't know what to do. "he wouldn't drink!"

"Let's try to wake him up, then." Stan starts shaking Dipper roughly.

Meanwhile, I allow my thoughts to drift.

_This is by far the most boring summer ever, I think to myself. I mean, WHY in the world would my dad sign me up for a job at the Mystery Shack?! I mean, Stan pays next to nothing! I'm seriously wondering how he's not in jail for paying $5 under minimum wage._

_I turn back to my magazine, and look outside as a Greyhound Bus pulls up. Ugh. More tourists. _

_However, this bus is empty except for a girl who disembarks. The girl is smiling and wearing a brightly colored sweater in the 90 degree heat. __She holds a camera and a scrapbook. __I would think she looked strange, but she exudes confidence and her smile is contagious, so I actually think she looks perfectly in place. I look again at the bus and notice there is one more person getting off - a boy. He has his head in a novel and is biting a pen. Unfortunately, he also doesn't look where he's going, and trips over a rock, sending him face-first onto the ground. The girl rushes back toward him. She says something and giggles as she helps him up. He grabs his book and takes her hand. Now that I see them together, I notice they look a lot alike, but also a lot different. The girl looks strong and like she can take on the world, her head up and a smile on her face, while the boy is frailer and has noodle arms, his posture more hunched forward and shy, and a cap covering his eyes. However, they share some similar features - the same color skin and their hair has the same curly quality. The girl half drags her brother closer to the shack. They stop to take a picture and the girl puts it in her scrapbook._

_Now that I think about it, they're probably twins. I try and asses how old they are; perhaps I can make friends with these strange tourists. I scan over them. Nine? Ten? Eleven? Well, better than nothing._

_I'm surprised when Stan comes into the gift shop._

_"Are they here yet?" he asks._

_"Who?" I'm confused. _

_"Oh!" a look of realization comes across his face. "My great niece and nephew are coming for the summer! Be nice, okay Wendy?" he adds._

_I raise an eyebrow. "Why?"_

_"I'm gonna let you in on a little secret," he says. "I didn't get much detail, but their teacher called and actually forced their dad to send them here to live with me. Something about the boy having a little trouble back home with his family and making friends."_

_I had no idea. I glance out of the window on the kids who are walking to the shack._

_"Okay," I say. "Cool."_

_He gives me a small smile. _

_"Yeah, okay, back to work," he says gruffly and pulls money to count out of his pants._

_Just as soon as I go back to reading my magazine, a high pitched voice interrupts my thoughts._

_"OMYGOSH DIPPER WE'RE HERE!" I look over and see the girl in the sweater._

_"Oh, hi I'm Mabel, I can already tell we're going to be BFFs!" She scampers over to me and says. She points to the window at her brother, who is still walking up to the shack. "That dork who isn't here yet is my brother, Dipper! Do you know any cute guys, I want to have an EPIC SUMER ROMANCE!"_

_"I'm Wendy," I say. I don't know how to react to this much enthusiasm. "And, yeah, I know a few guys."_

_We're interrupted by the opening of the door._

_"Mabel?" the boy, who I now know as Dipper, says, his voice cracking at the end of the sentence. He's reading a large book and hasn't looked around yet._

_"OH, Dipper you gotta meet my new bestie!" Mabel tells him and pulls him by the wrist over to me._

_"Dipper, meet Wendy!" She says._

_He jumps. "Oh, um, hi?" He tries to lean on the counter but misses and falls down. His face is red with embarrassment._

_"Sorry..that...um...sorry." He stammers. _

_"OmygoshwhydidIdothat," he whispers to himself._

_The next day, I come to work and Stan tells me to cover the sign to the shack with glitter. _

_It is soooo hot. UGH! I'm attempting to cover the sign, but after one letter, I'm like, I'M DONE! I look over and see Dipper reading something near a tree, listening to my complaints._

_I call up Robbie and my friends and party the whole day. I'm coming back, when I realize: WHAT HAVE I DONE!? If I get fired from this job, I have to spend the rest of the summer working as a lumberjack! That was the deal! If that sign isn't glittered, Stan's gonna kill me!_

_I race back to the shack, heart pounding. OHNOOHNOHONO! _

_Stan stops me in the hall. This is it, I tell myself._

_"Nice work on the sign, Wendy!" He says. "Didn't know ya had it in ya!" _

_What is going on? Is he using reverse psychology? I run to the sign._

_It's covered in glitter, much better than I could have ever done._

_I look over and see Dipper reading and Mabel sleeping on his shoulder on a tree. They are both covered in glitter._

_They did my work so that I wouldn't get fired._

_That's when I know that we are actually going to be the best of friends._

I come back into reality, done thinking about happier times.

Now Mabel is dead and Dipper is on the brink of insanity. But, I mean, who could blame him?! Stan told me that their dad had abused them, got alcohol poising and died, that their mom died, and now Mabel's dead. I would be crazy and locked in a phsych ward if I was Dipper by now.

I think about how he almost killed himself.

I see Stan handing me a tissue for my wet eyes.

**Dipper's POV:  
**

"BILL!" I scream.

He appears. I'm relieved.

"Hi," I say. "Umm..thanks for saving me back there, man." Wow, this is awkward.

"Don't mention it, Pine Tree," he says, and his voice sounds sincere.

"Anyway, I'm ready to make a deal. What do you want for Mabel's life?" I ask. I hope it's not to possess me again.

"Could I have some memories?" he asks.

"What?" I'm confused. Does he want to take over the secrets of the journal?!

Almost as if he can read my mind, he says, "I don't want any secrets. I just want human memories. I kinda...want to know what it's like."

Why? And then it hits me.

"Bill," I ask. "Were you human once?"

"Yeah," he sighs. He seems uncharacteristically...human.

"Okay," I say. "I'll tell you my whole life story. BUT first, give me Mabel back."

We shake, but he doesn't have any blue flames on this one.

Mabel appears next to me.

"Dipper?" She asks.

I can't answer her. I'm too busy hugging her.

"I'm never letting go of you again," I whisper.

"It's okay, Dipper," she says. "I'm here now."

**Stay tuned to learn Dippers whole life story :)**

**I added BIll just because he is always considered so evil, and I wanted to show him in a new light. Tell me what you think!**


	8. The End

I have chosen to end this story on the last chapter I made for a couple reasons:

1\. I hate happy sappy endings. I mean, in this ending, Dipper gets Mabel back and has worked out some stuff with Bill, but there is still enough sad stuff that it isn't over sugary.

2\. You guys can create the ending in your own minds, I would love to hear some if you want to PM me.

3\. This chapter of Dipper's life is over. He's gotten his sister back, now he's going to turn the page in his life and start a new story. I think that I may write that as a sequel, but that's really not part of this story.

HOWEVER...

If I get a lot of people begging me to do a fluffy chapter to tie this story up with a bow, I will. PM me about it or write a review.

Thanks to the people that reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. Your support is what made this possible.


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